Electric Blue (21 page)

"Wrong, you're right in it. This is where you belong Poppy, this is the right path. You are heading in the right direction and I will be here to guide you along the way."

Poppy squeezed her hand. "Thanks. It's good to know I have you to count on."

They smiled at each other and Alicia stole a quick kiss. "Aright," she said, "now you're able to hear the Crow inside you; now you have to do the reverse. Can you hear your own thoughts when you listen inside?"

Poppy closed her eyes and focused again inside herself. She could hear the flapping of the wings and could not think why she had not heard them all along. They seemed a part of her, part of her language, her speech. Around the wings, that black noise, she felt herself. Her own thoughts were covering the sound of the wings. She concentrated a little harder and found she could separate the two; they were separate but part of the same whole, part of her. She could hear herself thinking over the noise of the wings. "I'm in here," Poppy said. "I am two but I am one."

"Exactly . . . ." Again Poppy's voice was soft, as if it were coming from far away. ". . .Now. . .listen to your Crow. . .you will be able to change at will eventually. . .but take it slowly at first. . .ease yourself into it. . .when you're Crow, you will be able to hear your Human thoughts more clearly. . . ."

Poppy smiled to herself and felt that warm her body. She stretched her hands out to either side of her again, fingers dancing on air. She focused on the wings, their black sound, and heard them grow louder, until all she heard was the flapping of wings. The sound seemed to grow with intensity, until the flapping was all around her, until she was breathing it in. She felt a curious sensation on her hands. When she opened her eyes, she saw black feathers sprouting on her fingertips. . . .

Chapter Twenty Six

Internal Turmoil

David met Chip in
McNabb
Park
, just off Bronson and Gladstone. Chip looked pale and worried and looked fidgety. He smiled when he saw David.

"I'm so glad you came!" he said.

"I still don't understand why I couldn't meet you at home" David replied, sitting down beside Chip on a park bench.

"Because Roz is home."

"Are you two having troubles?"

"You could say that. I wanted to talk to you privately," he said.

"Is your relationship in trouble?"

"Nooooo. . .not really. But there is something going on, David. Roz isn't herself; she's been acting so strangely since Valentine's Day. I don't know what to do anymore David. I'm at my wit’s end."

"Perhaps it would be better if you start at the beginning," David said. "That way I will know if I can help or not."

So, Chip told David everything beginning with how withdrawn Roz had been after Valentine's, how depressed she had been, shutting herself in her room. He told David about finding Roz after she had tried to commit suicide, of the drastic change that had come over her.

"She's not herself, David," he said. He told him about her sudden mood swing, how one moment she had been dark and depressed and forlorn and the next moment she was happier than she had ever been. "That's what scares me the most, she's happy all the time now. That's even more frightening than what happened last night, like she's shut herself off in a happy bubble and I can't get in."

"What happened last night?"

"She started screaming about pain, how much pain she was in and then she said `I cannot see her face, but she stalks the Shifter even now, even now she is trying to find a way in. I can feel her, Chip, I can feel her, see her, but cannot see her face!' It was so eerie, David. I mean, a moment before, she had been sleeping peacefully and then she exploded."

"Did she remember anything in the morning?"

"No. She didn't. She didn't remember anything. I tried talking to her about it, asking what was hurting her, but she said she was fine. She thought I was joking."

"This sounds like it’s way out of my league."

"But do you think something is wrong?" Chip asked.

"Very wrong." He scratched his chin. "Let's go see Cecelia."

* * * * *

"What you told me is troubling," Cecelia said. Chip had relayed the whole story to Cecelia, making sure not to leave a word out. They were sitting in what had been Karma's bedroom but was now Cecelia and Naomi's living room. "I wonder. . .no, I must be sure. You say your wife is pregnant?"

"Yes," Chip said. "It's our first child."

"Do you think that is what she meant by her insides hurting?" Cecelia asked.

Chip paled. "Oh, god, do you think so?"

"I don't know," The wise woman said. "I need to be sure. I need you to do something for me, Chip."

"Anything, please, just help my wife."

"Then you must bring her to me," she said.

* * * * *

"What's all this about?" Roz asked. She had been surprised when Chip had arrived home from his walk and told her he wanted to take a drive. But she would follow Chip to the ends of the earth, so she had gotten in the car with a smile on her face. She thought they were going to go to the country to look at the leaves changing colour. However, instead of driving towards
Wakefield
, she was a little shocked when the car started heading in the direction of David and
Orlando
's place. "Where are we going, Chip?"

"We just have to go see Cecelia for a minute."

They pulled up in the drive and got out of the car. Cecelia was waiting for them in the doorway. "Come on in," she said. "Naomi is waiting for us in the back bedroom." She led the way down a long hallway, passing the kitchen and the bathroom and stopping in front of a brown wooden door. Cecelia knocked.

"Come in!" Naomi said.

Cecelia opened the door and the others filled in behind her. Cecelia closed the door when they were all in the room. Naomi was seated on the floor in front of a silver bowl that held water. Candles were lit all around the room, their brightness a soft amber glow.

"What's going on here?" Roz asked.

"We're going to see what's inside you," Naomi said.

Roz put her hands protectively on her stomach. "What do you mean?"

"We're going to perform an exorcism," Cecelia said grimly.

Chapter Twenty Seven

Thick Silence

"You're going to do what?" Roz had visually paled.

"We're going to perform an exorcism," Cecelia said again.

"Don't be silly Cecelia!" Naomi said with forced cheerfulness. She stood and came towards Roz and shot her grandmother a warning glance. "Come on over here and lie down on the couch, dear, you look pale."

Cecelia, David and Chip moved out of the way as Naomi took Roz by the elbow and took her to the couch. Naomi shot Cecelia another warning glance that told Cecelia to keep her mouth shut.

"It’s just what Cecelia said, I could have sworn I heard her say—”

"That's alright Honey, you misheard," Naomi said. "Now, lie down here a minute, rest your head. You don't want to upset the baby."

Roz smiled at her kindness. "No, I guess you're right. Your couch looks comfortable." She smiled at Naomi again and rested her head on the pillow Naomi had placed at one end of the couch. "Just close your eyes for a moment, Roz, and take a few deep breaths." Naomi ran her hand over Roz's closed eyes and whispered a word to herself. In seconds, Roz was snoring soundly, asleep and dreaming peacefully. Naomi stood and regarded her grandmother.

"What do you think you're doing? You could have scared her half to death, telling her we're going to perform an exorcism."

"Well, I've never been one to beat around the bush," she said.

"Well, in this case, speaking bluntly isn't going to do any good," Naomi said. "She has no idea that anything is wrong with her. We can't tell her that she might be possessed."

Chip gasped. "Possessed? Is that what you think is going on? She's possessed?"

Cecelia nodded. "It seems to be a possibility, yes. From the behavior you have described, possession seems to be the only answer."

"Possession by whom? Who could have done such a thing?"

"Perhaps Jethro?" Naomi suggested. "I don't know too much about him, but from what you have said, he didn't sound too nice."

"It's the only explanation," Chip said. "What are we going to do?"

"We have to wait for Lucia to show up. Then we can begin."

"Lucia is going to know about this too?" Chip looked worried. "Can't we keep this between ourselves? So that not too many people know about it?"

"The more we have here on our side," Cecelia said, "the more power we have, the more light we have the better. There is strength in numbers and we don't know what we're up against yet. The more here, the more people who love Roz, the better." She regarded Chip. "Are you going to be alright?" Chip nodded.

"Then let's get set up," Naomi said.

* * * * *

The room was warm with everyone in it. David and Orlando stood to the left of the back room’s only window. The blinds were drawn to keep out prying eyes. Lucia was seated to the right of the window. The three of them were only observers here tonight, but they knew their presence was important. Chip was holding his wife's hand. Cecelia sat on a small pillow in front of Roz and Naomi was bent over her. She ran her hands all over Roz, a few inches above her body. She wanted to feel the darkness that had touched her. In order to do that, she reached out subtly with her magic. Small zaps of electric blue energy flitted from her fingers and palms over Roz's body, making Roz look as if she were being caressed by lightning. She started at the head and was slowly moving her hands down the length of Roz's body.

"Do you feel anything?" Cecelia asked.

"No, not yet, I—”she broke off when she got to Roz's stomach. The blue lightning stopped.

"What's wrong?" Chip asked. "Why did you stop?"

"This doesn't make any sense," Naomi said, "I just don't understand."

"What, for god's sake?" Chip asked. "What's wrong with my wife?"

"You're wife is not possessed," Naomi said.

"That's great news!" Chip said.

"Wait," Naomi said, holding up her hand. "There is more. She is not possessed by a demon; but she is carrying one."

The room was silent for a moment as everyone took in what was just said. Finally, Chip spoke. "What do you mean?" he said softly.

"I mean, the child in your wife's belly is a demon," she said. The silence in the room following this statement was deafening.

Chapter Twenty Eight

Revelations of Parenthood

Everyone in the room was still silent. Finally, after Chip had regained his composure, he spoke.

"What did you say?" Chip said.

"I said," Naomi replied, "that the child in your wife's belly is a demon."

"That's what I thought you said. . . ." he replied. "To think that the baby isn't even mine. . . ." "But wait a minute!" David said. "How the hell can the baby be a demon? That doesn't make sense."

"It does if the baby's father was Jethro," Cecelia said.

Chip whirled on the old woman. "How DARE you say such a thing!"

"It's the only thing that makes sense," she said. "You've told us what he did to you on Valentine's Day. . .we keep coming back to that day. You said he hurt you both but he didn't kill either of you."

"David saved us in time," Chip said.

"No, if he had wanted you and Roz to die, Jethro would have killed you, make no mistake."

"Why don't we ask her what happened," Lucia said. "She seems to be waking up."

They all turned to see Roz on the couch, her eyes fluttering. "She comes!" she said. Her voice was harsh and pained.

"This is what happened last night," Chip said.

"She comes!" Roz said again. She was clearly asleep.

"Who comes?" Cecelia moved closer to Roz, held her hand in hers.

"There are those that seek her, the Shifter. She is here! SHE IS HERE! Even now, she tries to seep her way in, to ooze in through the floorboards. I don't know if we can stop her!"

"Who, Roz?" Naomi said softly. "Can you tell us who?"

"I cannot see her face, but she stalks the Shifter even now, even now she is trying to find a way in. I can feel her, oh, God, I can feel her, see her, but cannot see her face!" Roz took a breath, the fluttering of her eyelids frantic. "Poppy has begun her quest, but something stalks her, something hunts her. I can only feel it at night, can only know of its presence. We must help Poppy! We must HELP HER!"